United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday, 13 February, where he was to speak at the opening session of the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq the following day. He was received at the airport by Abdullah al Matouq, Chairman of the International Islamic Charitable Organization.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres departed New York on Thursday, 25 January, for Ethiopia. During an hour-long layover in Lomé, Togo, he had a courtesy call with President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé at the airport. The Secretary-General arrived in Addis Ababa late on Friday, 26 January.

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres left New York on Wednesday, 20 December 2017, to attend the closing ceremony of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands.

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres left New York on Monday, 27 November to attend the fifth African Union‑European Union Summit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He arrived in Abidjan late on Tuesday, 28 November.

Daily Noon Briefing

The Secretary-General said that he was deeply saddened by the terrible suffering of the civilian population in eastern Ghouta in Syria, noting 400,000 people lived in hell on earth. He appealed to all those involved for an immediate suspension of all war activities in the region.